Ten Dead, Four Missing After Bus Disappears in China Floods Amid Worsening Extreme Weather
At least 10 people have been confirmed dead after a bus carrying passengers went missing during torrential rainfall in northern China’s Shanxi province, state media reported on Wednesday.
The bus was last seen on Sunday morning in the city of Datong, amid severe flooding that has battered the region.
Authorities said search operations are ongoing for four more passengers who remain missing, while one body was found downstream earlier in the week, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
The tragedy is part of a broader crisis unfolding across northern China, where extreme rainfall and flash floods have killed at least 48 people in recent days and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands. The flooding has overwhelmed infrastructure, cutting off power in villages, closing roads, and submerging homes.
In Beijing, the capital city, at least 30 fatalities have been recorded, with the highest death toll reported in Miyun, a suburban district in the northeast. Meanwhile, in neighboring Hebei province, a landslide triggered by heavy rains killed eight residents in a village, with four more missing, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Tuesday.
Summer disasters like these are becoming increasingly common in China, with some areas suffering from record-breaking floods, while others endure intense heatwaves. Scientists have linked this growing pattern of extreme weather to climate change, driven by greenhouse gas emissions — of which China remains the world’s largest emitter.
Still, the country is also a global leader in renewable energy investment and has pledged to reach carbon neutrality by 2060.
The recent events, however, underscore the urgent need for climate resilience and improved disaster response infrastructure.
As rescue efforts continue, the nation mourns lives lost and braces for more rain in the coming days.
